Whether you have multiple smart home devices dotted around your home or just one hub that takes care of everything, you need to choose a virtual assistant to start creating your own smart home. From asking what time it is to locking your front doors, a virtual assistant makes your day-to-day life significantly easier and stress-free. But which one should you choose?
Alexa vs Google Assistant is a fairly common debate. Alongside Apple Home, the two make up the top three most popular voice assistants available today. Built into some of the best smart speakers and compatible with multiple devices, both virtual assistants excel in different areas.
As an Android user, I’ve tried out both Alexa and Google Assistant, and I have to say Alexa is my winner… here’s why.
Google Assistant vs Alexa: what’s the difference?
For starters, Google Assistant and Alexa are owned and operated by two completely different companies. Alexa is owned by Amazon and Google Assistant is owned by Google (no surprises there).
Both are virtual and voice assistants that are available on multiple devices that are owned and made by its company. For example, Alexa is built into the Echo Dot and the Echo Show 15, whereas Google Assistant comes with the Google Nest Hub Max and Google smartphones. Both Alexa and Google Assistant are also compatible with devices from other manufacturers like Philips Hue, Arlo and much more.
Both virtual assistants do much of the same thing but they have different areas that they excel at. With Alexa, the Amazon virtual assistant is brilliant for controlling and customising your smart home and linking up multiple devices. It’s also better with general requests and tends to be quicker and more responsive. In comparison, Google has a better search and knowledge (what with being connected to Google Search) and is more equipped to handle complex requests and questions.
Choosing between the two will completely depend on what you want to get out of them. For more details on both virtual assistants, check out how to start a smart home with Google Assistant and how to start a smart home with Alexa.
Why I’m choosing Alexa over Google Assistant
There are many things to consider when adopting a voice assistant but these are the key factors that make Alexa a winner in my eyes. For more details on entertainment, privacy and communication, make sure to check out our full comparison guides on Alexa vs Google Assistant and Chromecast vs Fire TV Stick.
Devices
Verdict: Alexa
Before we get into compatibility, I’m going to talk specifically about Amazon products with Alexa and Google products with Google Assistant.
On the Amazon website, there’s a dedicated page called Echo & Alexa devices where you can find a full range of smart speakers, displays, streaming sticks, and smart home devices. The types of Amazon Alexa devices you can buy include Echo Dots, Echo Pop, Echo Studio, Echo Shows, Fire TV sticks, Fire TV Cube, Amazon smart plugs, wireless routers, subwoofers and amps. Amazon also owns Ring and Blink who sell video doorbells, indoor and outdoor security cameras and other smart security products.
Google has many of its own smart home products which are under the Google Nest name. At the Google Store, you can find Google Nest smart displays, speakers, security cameras, video doorbells and smart thermostats. Google also offers Wi-Fi systems, smoke and CO alarms and Chromecast with Google TV.
Both Alexa and Google Assistant cover the main smart home categories but in terms of usability, features and functionality, Alexa takes the crown. Its products tend to be more straightforward and easy to use, and the sheer amount of them cover anything you could possibly want. Having said that, Google Assistant isn’t too far behind.
Compatibility
Verdict: Alexa
Alongside its own line of products, Alexa and Google Assistant are both compatible with other devices. To find out if your product is compatible with Alexa or Google Assistant, look for ‘Works with Amazon Alexa’ and ‘Works with Google Assistant’ branding.
Alexa is compatible with Philips Hue smart lighting, Ecobee and Tado smart thermostats, Arlo cameras, TP-Link smart plugs, Yale and Ultion Nuki smart locks, Sonos speakers, and many more. Google Assistant is also compatible with Philips Hue, Arlo and Tado, and works with Dyson vacuum cleaners, Roku streaming sticks, Nanoleaf smart bulbs, and JBL, LG and Harman speakers.
For compatibility, it’s completely up to you what kind of products you want to use in your home. If you’re looking for smart home devices, Alexa is the clear choice as it has access to more smart products, but Google Assistant has merits for connecting to vacuums and speakers. As you tend to invest in a smart device with a virtual assistant for more control over your home, this is why Alexa wins here.
Voice commands and recognition
Verdict: Tie
‘Hey Alexa!’ and ‘OK Google!’ are all you need to start using voice commands with Alexa and Google Assistant. From there, you can ask them to do almost anything from starting timers and reading the news to locking your doors and deleting your browsing history. As mentioned above, Alexa is better with general requests whereas Google can take care of more complex requests, although you’ll need to speak clearly and be specific.
Both Alexa and Google Assistant have strong voice commands and recognition, and both could improve in some areas which is why I’m calling it a tie. If you want to find more commands to ask your virtual assistants, check out the Google Assistant commands you didn’t know about and the Alexa commands you need to know.
Smart home
Verdict: Alexa
For me, Alexa wins for smart home hands down. The amount of smart devices that Amazon creates and are compatible with is far greater than Google Assistant and the automation and schedules are more streamlined and speedy (although Google Assistant is still admirable when it comes to smart home).
Why Alexa wins in smart home is its routines and schedules. Once you’ve connected your devices, you can set up routines where you turn on lights, play a podcast, set a timer and turn down your heating, all by putting together a schedule in the app. For non-smart devices, you can give them smart features and capabilities with the Amazon smart plug, something that Google hasn’t developed yet (although it’s compatible with smart plugs from other manufacturers).
Price
Verdict: Alexa
Amazo’s wide range of Alexa-enabled devices are incredibly cost-effective. While most of Google Assistant products are budget-friendly, Amazon starts its prices from as little as £34.99 and during big sales seasons, its popular products are hit with huge price cuts.
And that’s why I’m switching from Google Assistant to Alexa! Google Assistant only narrowly falls short and it’s still an incredibly impressive virtual assistant that has great value and is exceptional for building a smart home around. But for ease, better smart home control and price, Alexa wins for me.
Take a look at our deals widget below to save money on your next Amazon Alexa and Google Nest device.
